Adjustable mercury switch



Jl me 2, 1970 G. H. JOHNSON ADJUSTABLE MERCURY SWITCH Filed Oct. 4, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 3.

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'June- 2, 1970 G. H. JOHNSON ADJUSTABLE MERCURY SWITCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 4, 1968- United States Patent 3,515,830 ADJUSTABLE MERCURY SWITCH George H. Johnson, Levittown, NY. (321 NW. 39 St., Pompano Beach, Fla. 33064) Filed Oct. 4, 1968, Ser. No. 765,046 Int. Cl. H0111 29/00, 35/18 US. Cl. 200-452 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention relates to an adjustable automatic switch and more particularly to an adjustable float type switch, in which the switch is actuated in accordance with the level of a body of liquid.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable float switch device in which the float switch is disposed on a float arm so that the switch is actuated at a predetermined liquid level.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an adjustable automatic float switch in which the switch is disposed on a float arm and the switch is provided with a loop configuration, which loop configuration may be set at various vertical levels so as to adjust the float switch device to operate at predetermined varying levels as desired.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable float switch that is disposed on a float arm and the float switch is of an elongated configuration and disc means are provided for rotating the switch on the arm so as to set the switch to operate at different vertical levels with respect to a body of water with which the float arm and switch is associated.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an adjustable automatic float switch that can be used with bilge pumps and the like, so as to provide a safe, no-arcing operation and with adjustable depth settings for operation of the switch.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a float switch having a loop configuration, in which loop portions of the loop configuration can be twisted to provide a different configuration and a different setting at which the switch will be actuated and operated.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mercury switch having a tubular configuration, in which a portion of the tube is rigid and in which another portion of the tube is flexible and can be moved so as to change the configuration of a portion of the tube to cause it to be adjustable and to be actuated at various different settings.

Various other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the adjustable mercury type switch of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the adjustable mercury type switch shown in FIG. 1, embodying the present invention;

3,515,830 Patented June 2, 1970 ice FIG. 3 is a section taken along the lines 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the loop configuration embodied in the adjustable float switch of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the loop configuration of the float switch embodied in the present invention;

FIG. 6 is another embodiment of the invention in which the loop type float switch is provided with a rigid portion and a flexible portion;

FIG. 7 is still another modification of the adjustable automatic float switch in which the tubular swtich is provided with a rigid portion and a flexible portion with means for moving the flexible portion with respect to the rigid portion;

FIG. 8 shows the embodiment of the invention of FIG. 7, but in a horizontal, middle position; and

FIG. 9 shows the embodiment of the invention of FIG. 7, but in a downward, lower position.

Referring to the drawings, the reference numeral 10 generally designates an adjustable automatic float switch having a stanchion 12 disposed on a base 14 with a float arm 16 having a float 18 on the end thereof pivotally connected to the stanchion 12. The float is normally disposed in a body of liquid or water, such as a bilge in which it is desired to maintain the liquid level at a certain predetermined level therein.

Disposed on the arm 16 is a cylindrical disc or housing 7 20, in which is disposed a mercury switch having a loop formed of tubing 22. The tubular loop 22 is protected by a covering 24 and forms a figure 8 configuration when seen from a side view, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The upper and lower portions of the tubular loop 22 overlap each other, as best seen in FIG. 5. The interior of the loop is provided with a small body of mercury 24 and electrical contacts 26 are disposed in one end of the tubular loop and in the lower portion 28 thereof.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be noted that the cylindrical disc 20 is secured to the arm 16 by a screw member 30 and a nut 32.

The nut 32 may be loosened and the cylindrical disc 20 may be rotated to any desired position after which the nut 32 is tightened again. Thus, this disc can be rotated or adjusted with respect to the arm 16, so as to fix the tubular loop 22 at various angles with respect to the arm 16 and thus, the mercury switch and the body of mercury 24' therein will flow in the tubular loop 22 at various liquid levels so as to actuate the electrical contacts 26, and to start a pump or whatever apparatus the switch may be operatively connected to.

As the float 18 rises with the liquid or water level, the mercury 24' flows down the tubular portion 34 to the curved portion 36 to the point 38 adjacent the electrical contacts 26, where it closes the circuit across the exposed contacts to actuate a pump or other device.

As the liquid level falls and the float falls, the body of mercury will then flow down the tubular portion 40 to the curved portion 42 to the portion 44 from where it originally was disposed so as to open the circuit to the pump or device to which the float switch is operatively connected.

It will be noted that the front of the disc is provided with a plurality of depth indicia and a depth pointer 46, so that the switch may be set at any predetermined desired setting.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 6, this is substantially the same as that disclosed in connection with FIG. 1, except that the tubular loop 46, which has a figure 8 configuration, is provided with a rigid tubular portion 48 and a flexible tubular portion 50, which may be made of plastic material and the 3 like. The tubular loop is also provided with a stationary rigid tubular portion 52 and another flexible tubular portion 54. The tubular loop 46 is disposed on the float arm 16 by any well known means so that the portion 52 remains stationary and rigid with respect to the arm 16.

The tubular loop 46 is provided with an adjusting knob with a pointer 59. The rigid tubular portion 48 is movable at the pivot point indicated at 58 to thus increase or decrease the distance indicated as D between the tubular portion 48 and the tubular portion 52 at the spreading point D, resulting in various choices of operating level of the switch by rotating the adjusting knob 56.

In operation, the mercury 24 in the tubular portion 54 proceeds through the tubular portion 48 on elevation of the left side of the switch. As the elevation continues, the mercury proceeds through the tubular portion 50 to the curved portion 60 where it closes the electrical contacts 28 to a pump. As the water level recedes, the mercury proceeds through the tubular portion 52, and returns to the tubular portion 54 to its starting point to await the next cycle of operation.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, tubular switch 62 consists of a rigid stationary portion 64 with the usual contacts 26 in one end thereof, and a flexible portion 66 connected to the rigid portion by joint 68. The flexible portion 66 of the tube, which is a rigid portion but is movable or made flexible by virtue of the flexible joint 68, can be moved from an upper position, as best seen in FIG. 7, to a middle position, as seen in FIG. 8, and downwardly to a lower position, as shown in FIG. 9, by movement of the adjusting lever 70. The adjusting lever 70 is provided with an opening 72 therein into which the rigid portion 66 extends. The adjustable lever 70 is a friction type lever of any well known type so that once the lever 70 is moved to one of the positions illustrated in FIGS. 7-9, it will stay there until again manually moved to another position. It is apparent that the movement of the lever 70 so as to vary the height of the end 66 of the tube will cause the switch to operate at any predetermined position.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that the present invention provides a novel and compact, adjustable rnercury switch that can be used with a float arm, so as to vary the level of a liquid body at which it is desired to start a pump or shut down a pump or other device.

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable mercury switch comprising a closed circuit tube having opposed U-shaped ends bent about horizontal axes, the upper leg of one U-shaped end being connected to the lower leg of the opposite end and the upper leg of that end being connected to the lower leg 4 of the first-named end to form a tube with a figure 8 loop, a charge of mercury in said tube and at least one pair of electrodes in said tube adapted to close a circuit when in contact with said mercury, and a section of said tube being flexible and twistable to make said switch operative at various vertical levels.

2. An adjustable float switch comprising a float arm, and a flexible and twistable closed tube carried by said arm with spaced electrical contacts therein at one end of said tube, mercury in said tube adapted to cover said contacts at a predetermined time to provide a closed circuit between said contacts, and means for moving the position of the tubular member with respect to said arm to provide a closed circuit between said contacts at various predetermined times and at various vertical levels.

3. The switch of claim 2 wherein said tube is a loop forming a figure 8 configuration.

4. The switch of claim 3 wherein said loop is mounted on a disc member carried by said arm.

5. The switch of claim 4 wherein the moving means includes means for rotating said disc member and loop to different angles with respect to said arm.

6. The switch of claim 2 wherein said tube is twistable by forming the loop with a rigid portion stationarily fixed to said arm, another rigid portion and two flexible portions connected to the opposite ends of said another rigid portion.

7. The switch of claim 6 wherein said flexible portions are curved plastic tubular sections.

8. The switch of claim 2 wherein said tube comprises a straight tubular section rigidly disposed on said arm and another rigid section connected to said first section by flexible joint means.

9. The switch of claim 8 wherein the moving means comprises a pivoted friction member secured to said arm and adapted to move said another rigid section upwardly and downwardly.

10. The switch of claim 9 wherein said friction member is provided with a recess therein.

11. The switch of claim 10 wherein said another rigid section has a closed end extending into said recess.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1948 Holmes 200-84.2 X 6/1961 Worth et a1. 20033.l

US. Cl. X.R. 200-84 

